God’s judgment is a pretty intimidating subject to think about for me. Not because of fear of God’s judgment of me, whether or not I will be joined in eternal union with him, but because of how that topic comes across to non-Christians. It seems that a lot of those who are turned-off by the Christian Church reference the belief that at the end of times, we will all face judgment. With this cultural sensitivity in the back of my mind, I had a lot of apprehension when reading this Psalm. “Of course I would get a Psalm about this”, I thought to myself. “ I don’t have the understanding or authority to be writing a reflection on such a heavy topic.”
Uneasy, I began reading the Psalm and by verse 3 I was filled with an unexpected sense of peace. “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.” What a relief! If I am being honest, most of my daily worries and actions unsuccessfully try to put myself in charge of saving the world. “If I don’t take care of this person, who else will?” “If I don’t do this, surely things will not go right.” Psalm 75 reminds us that God is truly the one making all things work out for His goodness, not us. While he invites us in to participate in the work he is doing, He is still going to do great things, even if we don’t join in.
Because true salvation comes through the Lord, we have no grounds to boast of our own successes. “I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high or speak with haughty neck’” (verse 4-5). We can’t point to the times we wrote the perfect Monday Psalm, helped a friend, or followed each commandment in the law. None of those would even come close to what God has done. What we can point to is Jesus on the cross, answered prayers, the Holy Spirit guiding us during a tough time, and any other time God has moved mightily.
But that is not always easy to do. One thing I have found to be helpful is to share the things that God has done in your life and, just as importantly, the things He has done in the lives of those around you. It’s an opportunity to remind yourself and others that God is the one who holds up the pillars of the world, not us. Give it a shot! Share with your Gospel Community, DNA group, spouse, children, whoever! Share the great things the Lord has done and then respond in awe and worship.
“But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob” (verse 9).
Much love,
Eric